Murder with a Twist Read Online Free Page A

gave a great sniff and produced a smile; a teary, weepy smile. Nigel threw his arm protectively around her shoulders and winked at me. “Won’t we, dear?”
    I didn’t answer. At best, it seemed a rhetorical question. At worst, it seemed something best left unsaid.
    “Good. At least that’s settled,” said Daphne, fluffing out her flaxen hair. “Now, what’s for dinner?”

six
    Fish still attached to its head was for dinner. I don’t particularly enjoy eating food that appears to be watching me as I eat it, but then I usually don’t enjoy eating with Olive, either. I chalked it up to a two birds with one stone kind of situation and hoped the Universe took note that I was owed something truly awesome.
    “Do you really think you can find him?” Audrey asked as she pushed her uneaten fish around on her plate.
    “I don’t know,” I answered as I did the same with mine. “Tell me about when you last saw him.”
    Audrey put down her fork. “It was Saturday morning. We had breakfast, and then he said he was going out for a while. He didn’t say where. He said he’d be back later that afternoon. We were going to a friend’s house for dinner. He never came home.”
    “Did you have a fight?” I asked.
    “No, in fact, Leo was in a particularly good mood. He’d been in one for the last few weeks actually. He was being very … um, sweet, if you know what I mean.”
    I did. From the way everyone at the table suddenly put down their forks, I gathered I wasn’t alone.
    “So, he left without saying where he was going, what he was going to do there, or when he’d be back,” I repeated. “And you’ve no idea about why he was in such a good mood?”
    Again, Audrey had no helpful answer. “He just seemed happy. We were getting along. He was looking forward to my birthday party. He’d even begun talking about starting a family.”
    I glanced at Nigel. From the way his upper lip twitched, I gathered he was thinking the same thing that I was. Leo’s recent good mood probably had more to do with Audrey’s impending inheritance upon turning twenty-five than a sudden newfound love for his wife. I had no idea what kind of prenuptial contract they had—or even if they had one. As Audrey’s trustee, Max would be the one to ask about that. But having a child with Audrey would definitely be a giant plus in Leo’s ledger.
    “Where do you think he is?” I asked.
    Audrey stared at her plate. “I … I don’t know really. In the past, there have been times when Leo hasn’t come home, but I never asked him where he’d been. I don’t know if he’d tell me anyway. But this time it’s different. I just know it. While our marriage isn’t perfect, he’s never taken off for three days in a row. And despite what you think, he wouldn’t abandon me on my birthday. I know something’s happened to him.”
    I nodded noncommittally. “Do you know any of his friends? Is there anyone you could call?”
    Audrey shook her head. “There are some guys that he plays poker with on a regular basis. I’ve never met them. There is one man I heard Leo talk to a couple of times on the phone. Frank Little. I found his number and called him, but he said that he hadn’t seen Leo in over a week.” Audrey fell silent and resumed pushing her fish around.
    The name rang a bell. If Frank Little was who I thought he was, then Leo could be in serious trouble. “And?” I prompted.
    Audrey looked up at me. “And what?”
    “What else did Frank tell you? You’re holding something back.”
    Audrey’s face flushed. “It’s nothing really. He just said something about Leo owing some people money.”
    “How much?”
    Audrey lowered her eyes to her plate, preferring eye contact with a dead fish over me. “Fifty thousand,” she said. “Maybe more.”
    “Dollars?” Olive gasped.
    Audrey ducked her head lower. Toby, who was sitting next to her, reached over and put a consoling hand on hers. “Well, I hope it’s dollars,” said Nigel